After this week, it’ll seem like Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss have come out of nowhere to form the outfit on everyone’s CMJ breakout list. But there are roots, dug deep and spread far: Past members of Sleigh Bells went on to form buzz-band Surfer Blood. Derek’s old hardcore band Poison The Well toured with Give Up The Ghost, the defunct hardcore outfit of past BTW Cold Cave’s Wes Eisold. Alexis Krauss is a school teacher with a pop-singer past. All of which gives certain strength to their reinvention in this excellent new outfit.

It bears mentioning that Derek lived (and recorded most of these demos) down the hall from one of our apartments, and that his tracks were passed to us by hand some months ago — a true bedroom project. In that form the songs showed jagged promise, but after seeing them fleshed out and flooring the Hype Machine party at Santos yesterday, they’re no longer an “if” but “when.” In part because the rough edges of those demos’ combustible pop are now more finely razed, in part because of Alexis Krauss’s outsized yet totally natural stage presence.

Sleigh Bells are just a duo — Derek on beat production, guitars, and songwriting; Alexis Krauss on vocals — but their tracks ram together many sonic worlds. Their electronic beats thud with gut-rattling low end; guitars are distorted siren squalls (“A/B Machines”), or heavily gated and thoroughly crunched power chords (“Infinity Guitars”), or playful, beach bum strums (the Beta Band-y “Ring Ring”). Krauss flips easily from hip-hop hook sass (“Beach Girls”), to pop power to sunshined, coquettish coos. The demos that are floating around are all getting re-recorded soon, but you should have a few to get familiar:

Next up for Sleigh Bells: re-recording all of this stuff, and lots more. Until then, hear “A/B Machines” and “Infinity Guitars” at MySpace. And if you’re at CMJ, don’t miss their set at Market Hotel on Friday night with the former Bells of Surfer Blood.

Here’s some vid to give you a sense, from the duo’s set at Le Poisson Rouge last month:

I remember seeing Poison the Well on accident at a particular punk festival hosted by a particular skate shoe company when I was a particular pubescent boy, (look, at least I saw Andrew W.K. there…) I really hated it.

To hear this, and know it’s coming from the same mind, creates a level of cognitive dissonance. But this is really, really, really good. Thank you, Stereogum, for melting away some bad memories of middle school concerts away. Fuck any inevitable discussions about credibility. Sleigh Bells is fantastic.

I think Poison the Well’s significance isn’t really appreciable by today’s standards of hardcore/scream-o music. They were some of the first to sound like a ‘scream-o/hardcore’ band. That style seemed very in vogue from 2000-2003; they were definitely at the forefront of that fad. Take my opinion with a grain of salt…I’m a former Poison the Well fan who just now went back and listened to the track I used to think was so edgy and creative, “Nerdy” and totally ruled out defending them on a basis of technical accomplishment, hah. It was cool at the time! Timing is everything.

Derek Miller is clearly too legit to quit. Krauss’ vocal execution is a driving force, but the most remarkable aspect of this band is Derek’s complete construction of these tracks; they are infectious, witty, and shrewdly timed. Sleigh Bells ooze with style.

Goddamn, guys. Really? Poison the Well’s past three albums are better than this garbage. Yes, it’s catchy, but there’s nothing about it that will keep the attention of hipsters for more than three months (even less time for the non hipster crowd). I’m making a prediction now: Their debut will lose all of its charm after the lo-fi veil is lifted and everyone else realizes how fucking bad this band is.

I really like everything I’ve heard from Sleigh Bells so far. Yes, they are catchy…and some may argue – not much substance. I also agree with most of Jacob’s comments (except about Poison the Well because I’ve never heard their music). Maybe Sleigh Bells re-record their stuff and lose that lo-fi sound. Maybe they record an even better album that 90% of the world likes. All I know is that in the past 10 months only one other band has caught my attention like Sleigh Bells. I have to agree most with kbiz – “Three months is longer than a lot of bands keep my attention.”

“hip-hop hook sass???” Are you F-ING KIDDING ME?!?!? This shit is HORRIBLE!!! Someone please tell me this is an elaborate joke. There is no style in this at all. it sounds like two wanna-be’s trying really fucking hard to sound like they don’t care. Good luck guys! Hope you get that american apparrel ad your pulling for!!!

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